Today we ate Molokhia!

11:58 PM
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I learned a few weeks ago (thanks to my mother in law), to cook molokhia,beside the nutrition facts (calcium, iron, potassium, vitamins B1 and B2 and also is considered antioxidant) the test is delicious you can cook it with chicken or meat, but in Egypt is famous the molokheia with rabbit.

The process is very simple, Egyptian women use to cut the leaves with an special knife buuuuuuuuuuut I use the blender muahahaha!, this pictures is from An edible mosaic give a click and check out their recipe wish also suggest the lamb as an option to cook with molokhia.an other good link is beheyeldin Dynasty wish has more information about it and different recipes, check it out!

I was just wandering yesterday why I had never tasted before but then I knew that is a native plant from the middle east, and is a bit difficult find it at least fresh in other countries, but if you find it frozen is OK it is delicious too, good luck!

Swarovski: Jawaher by swarovski elements

9:43 PM
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SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS proudly introduces the latest initiative for the fashion connoisseurin the Middle East-Jawaher, it comunicates the intrinsic elegance and the glamour of Arabian Women of today.Designers from australia, dubai and Saudi arabia joined the adventure of Arab women traditional dress style adorned with crystals to offer a new tradition for tomorrow adding to it sparkling to Arabian style.

At the Paris haute couture shows this week, a crop of Lebanese designers charmed private clients with sparkling gowns and wispy wedding dresses, produced in Beirut ateliers that have survived decades of bloodshed.

These days, helped by a period of political stability and strong economic growth, Lebanon’s fashion houses are taking the elite world of haute couture by storm.

And while storied French names such as Christian Lacroix are in financial difficulties, the Lebanese are flourishing thanks to a style and service that wealthy Middle Easterners love.

“After a difficult time, we see things afresh, we have even more energy and we want to fight. That’s life.”

Beirut was known as the Paris of the Orient before the gruesome 1975-1990 civil war. Recent upheaval includes a 34-day war with Israel in 2006, a militant Islamist revolt and political killings.

One Bride, Twelve Dresses

“When the situation in Beirut is not normal, when stuff happens, it’s not easy to work or even get to work,” Chakra said with an understatement characteristic of Lebanese couturiers.

Chakra’s dresses cost $20,000-$50,000. A Middle Eastern bride, he said, may easily order a dozen: one for the wedding, the others for the 11 nightly parties that follow. And that’s not counting the dresses for her mother, sisters and cousins.

Most Arab countries are expected to record an average 3.6 percent economic growth this year as the price of crude oil rebounds, according to a United Nations report.

That kind of market is a dream for couturiers. However, exploiting it takes more than a show in Paris and a boutique in Beirut.

For a start, there is the question of style. French haute couture prides itself on being innovative, avant garde. But this does not necessarily translate into the kind of fairytale gown a Saudi princess wants to wear.

“Lebanese fashion is a lot more feminine. If you look at French designers, they stage a big show but it’s not wearable,” Marianne Helou, a Frenchwoman married to a Lebanese lawmaker, told Reuters backstage at Chakra’s show.

“And in Lebanon, we dress up. That’s over in Paris, it doesn’t exist anymore, people don’t dress.”

Women like Helou, who was wearing a glossy fur coat, her blonde hair perfectly coiffed, filled the front rows at Chakra, Elie Saab, and Zuhair Murad this week.

They applauded the swishing organza and heavily embroidered silk, then contemplated how it would suit their own wardrobes -Helou, for example, may ask Chakra to close some revealing slits in a dress to adapt it to Beiruti tastes.

Forced Abroad, Returning in Truimph

European aristocrats have had a similar relationship with Parisian brands. But even Princess Caroline of Monaco only orders so many dresses a year.

Parisian couturiers whose business is going well, such as Stephane Rolland who had a turnover of 5 million euros in 2009, have managed cultivate a strong following in the Middle East also due to the enduring appeal of French tradition and craft.

Many other fashion houses here are struggling. Christian Lacroix, whose baroque dresses once wowed the fashion world, was placed under creditor protection last year.

The advantage of the Lebanese is that they are seen as somewhat of an Arab-European melange – partly because history has forced them to be.

“Because of the war, many Lebanese studied abroad, and that makes them very open, very adventurous,” Dalia Kamel, whose husband is Egypt’s ambassador in Paris, told Reuters.

“Among Arabs, the Lebanese are very well known for their finesse.”

Sitting in the front row at Elie Saab, the most famous Lebanese designer, Kamel recalled the 10 years she spent in Beirut in the 1990s, when her husband was a diplomat there.

“In the beginning I was really scared, but then over time I made a lot of Lebanese friends and I took on their lifestyle, going out, dressing up,” she said with a smile.

Around the catwalks in Paris, that exuberant aspect of Lebanese living, spiced up with a little irony, was in full bloom.

“The security situation is really good right now,” designer Elie Saab told Reuters among a throng of photographers, before adding with a laugh: “Let’s hope it lasts.”

Backstage at Zuhair Murad’s show, held in the gilded halls of Paris’s coin museum, the designer air-kissed fashionistas while next to him, an assistant was helping a naked model climb into a camouflage-patterned ballgown.

Fashion 2010, Pakistan

1:03 AM
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Fashion, Style, Luscious Colors and Summers… Gul Ahmed’s Summer Collection 2010 nurtures the right moods and attitude to celebrate this summer, wrapped up in a sheer blissful experience. ‘Gul Ahmed’ is the name which depicts the greatest heights of feminine fashion excellence in exceptional styles and glorifying colors.

1:28 AM
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The Trust (al-Amana) in the Qur'an and the wilaya

10:23 PM
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Wilaya in the Qur'an is intrinsically related to the moral visionof Islamic revelation. Wilaya in this regard is the faculty of thelegal and moral authority, which enables a person in whom thisauthority is invested to exact obedience to fulfill this moralvision. Accordingly, the concept of wilaya is directly connectedwith the fundamental question of saltana -- exercise of thatlegal and moral authority by demanding obedience. Islamicrevelation regards the creation of an ethical order as aninevitable projection of personal response to the moral challengeof accepting Islam. Personal devotion to Allah implies theresponsibility of furthering the realization of a just society,embodying all the manifestations of religious faith in thematerial as well as spiritual life of humankind.

This responsibility of striving for one's own welfare and that ofthe society in which one lives derives from the fact that,according to the Qur'an, humankind has boldly assumed 'thetrust' that Allah had offered 'unto the heavens and the earth andthe hills, but they shrank from bearing it and were afraid of it.And man assumed it. Lo! he has proved a tyrant and a fool'(33:72).

Shaykh Tusi in his Al-Masa'l al-Ha'iriyat explains amana astaklif (religious-moral obligation imposed by Allah on humanity)and cites the Shi'i opinion as the one in which amana is equatedwith wilaya. However, he argues that such an equation of amanawith wilaya is unnecessary, because the general sense derivedfrom Iaklif also includes acknowledgement of the person inwhom wilaya is invested. In his Qur'anic exegesis, Shaykh Tusiexplains amana as the contract (aI-'aqd) that humankind mustfulfill because it has been entrusted to humankind by Allah. Hecites several early authorities to show the complication ininterpreting the amana verse which has theological implicationsin the realm of human volition and responsibility as therecipient of this 'trust.' However, as Tusi explains it is in theearly traditions dealing with the wilaya that the amana verse hasbeen interpreted as pointing to the wilaya of Imam Ali ibn AbiTalib.

Allama Tabataba'i's detailed exegesis on this verse should beregarded as the recapitulation of all these early materials,including those written by the Sunni scholars, and his interpretationis derived in light of the early traditions regarding thewilaya. According to him, the 'trust' is al-wilayat al-ilahiyya,meaning the divine sovereignty which Allah offered to allcreatures. Only human beings, having assumed the trust, havethe potential to attain perfection and perfect their environment.The crux of the problem in the exegesis of the verse is that ifman was the only creature of Allah who accepted the 'trust,'why should he be described as a 'tyrant' and fool'? At thispoint, Allama Tabataba'i's interpretation draws upon the maintenets of Imami theology, which regard the 'trust' in the sense ofwilaya as a special favour to humanity entailing enormousresponsibility to stand by the obligation of guarding it.

Accordingly, only human beings are not afraid to bear the burden ofthis trust, and to accept the consequences of being a 'tyrant' and'ignorant,' because they only can acquire the opposite attributes- namely, those of being 'just' ('adil) and 'knowledgeable'('alim). In fact, both 'tyranny' and 'ignorance' are the primarycounterpoise of human responsibility in accepting al-wilaya al-ilahiyya,especially as it concerns Allah's providential purpose inallowing imperfect humanity to accept this responsibility.

The acceptance of this wilaya, furthermore, makes human beingsacquire both the responsibility for their actions as well assuperiority over all other creatures in the world. It is al-wilayatal-ilahiyya that enables them to put society into order inaccordance with their unique comprehension of religion.

However, the wilaya is given to humankind with a clear warningthat it will have to rise above 'tyranny' and 'ignorance' byheeding the call of divine guidance. Human beings, according tothe Qur'an, have been endowed with the cognition needed tofurther their comprehension of the purpose for which they arecreated, and violition to realize it by using their knowledge. It isthrough divine guidance that human beings are expected todevelop the ability to judge their actions and choose what willlead them to prosperity. But this is not an easy task. It involvesspiritual and moral development, something that is mostchallenging in the face of basic human weaknesses indicated bythe Qur'an in the following passage:

This weakness reveals a basic tension that must be resolved ifhuman beings are to attain the purpose for which they arecreated. It is at this point that divine guidance is sent throughthe prophets and revealed messages to provide either the sourcesand principles or basic norms of social organization underwhich a divinely sanctioned public order is to be established.The Prophet thus becomes a representative of the divineauthority on earth and exercises that authority in conformitywith the divine plan for human conduct. (read more... )

Philips lumea hair removal

8:28 PM
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"There was waxing...

There was shaving...

And there was light"

This is a great product for all like me who has troubles with the wax thing, take a look at it!Keeping skin smooth and hair-free can be a hassle. But now, women everywhere can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to an innovative new light-based hair removal system from Philips. This miracle treatment not only removes hair but, with regular use, significantly reduces hair growth until it disappears completely.

The name of this painless, hassle-free device is Philips Lumea. Retailing at £399 at Boots, Argos and Amazon, Philips Lumea can be used in all the major hair re-growth areas below the neck line, and is ideal for use on underarms, bikini line and legs.

The portable, hand-held device works gently against your skin, applying a pulse of light to any unwanted body hair. The light is absorbed by the melanin at the hair root and sends follicles into an inhibited state. When used regularly every 2-4 weeks, this stops the hair from growing back.

Philips Lumea’s advanced technology (called Intense Pulsed Light - IPL) has been researched and tested by leading dermatologists over a seven-year period. Experts have found that Philips Lumea is safe for most skin and hair types and is an innovative breakthrough in hair removal systems.

Portability: It’s so lightweight and compact that you can take it with you anywhere, so you never need to miss a session.

Final verdict: Hair removal is so unglamorous, but it’s something that all women have to do. Using a very high-tech method that rewards with effectiveness seems a positive step. It's so quick, virtually painless, and so easy to use that it has to be the future of hair removal.

For more information about Philips Lumea visit www.philips.co.uk/lumea.

Taraf (vanity and arrogance) & stupid crystallized items

12:16 AM
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$75,000 Ice Toilet

money flushed away!

Exclusive GoldenPutter with Pink Hues and Crystals for Female Golfersprice of $3,900“the iDiamond,” world’s first ever earphones formed using white gold with a lining of 204 diamonds.Nespresso’s crystal coffee machineThe Crystal Ergoripado is The World’s Most Expensive Vacuum CleanerCrystal Ergoripado with 3,730 Swarovski crystalsSkull with white Swarovski crystals and eyes with blue sapphires. The price for these rare beauties start with $3,000 and have more than 8000 Swarovski piecesNesmuk chef knife has 647 Swarovski Elements crystals on the handle, blue sapphire crystals that add a dash to the handle curve. Its blade has 400 layers of Damascus cocktail and a cutting position of the finest carbon steel. This crystallized chef’s knife is handmade and holds a price tag of $16,340 which is incidentally 12,000 euros.Islam prohibited the individual from luxury, considered it a sin, and He warned the luxurious ones with torture.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

وَأَصْحَابُ الشِّمَالِ مَا أَصْحَابُ الشِّمَالِ

فِي سَمُومٍ وَحَمِيمٍ

وَظِلٍّ مِّن يَحْمُومٍ

لَّا بَارِدٍ وَلَا كَرِيمٍ

إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ مُتْرَفِينَ"And those of the left hand: What of those of the left hand? In scorching wind and scalding water, and shadow of black smoke. Neither cool nor refreshing. For they were, before that, indulged in sinful luxury." [Al-Waqi'a: 41-45]

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا فِي قَرْيَةٍ مِّن نَّذِيرٍ إِلَّا قَالَ مُتْرَفُوهَا إِنَّا بِمَا أُرْسِلْتُم بِهِ كَافِرُونَ"And We sent not unto any township a warner, but its luxurious ones declared: Lo! We are disbelievers in that which you bring to us." [Saba'a: 34]

The luxurious ones are those who are haughty (arrogant) towards the believers because of their high level of wealth and children.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

وَاتَّبَعَ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ مَا أُتْرِفُواْ فِيهِ

"The wrongdoers followed that by which they were made surrounded with luxury." [Hud: 116]

What is meant by those who were surrounded with luxury is that they turned towards their whims i.e. followed their whims.

وَأَتْرَفْنَاهُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا"We made them luxurious in the worldly life" [Al-Mu'minun: 33]

that is We made them insist on their tyranny out of their arrogance i.e. We made them arrogant.

Luxury (Taraf) linguistically means vanity and arrogance due to living a life of ease and comfort. When we say wealth made somebody luxurious, we mean it made him arrogant and corrupted him. That the person became luxurious means that he insisted on tyranny. He also transgressed and became haughty.

Therefore the luxury (Taraf) which the Qur'an condemned, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى prohibited and considered a sin is the Taraf that linguistically means haughtiness and arrogance due to ease of living, but not the ease of living itself. Therefore it is wrong to interpret Taraf as enjoying the wealth and ease of living by that which Allah سبحانه وتعالى provided, because ease of living and enjoying the provision of Allah are not condemned by Shari'ah.

Allah سبحانه وتعالى said:

قُلْ مَنْ حَرَّمَ زِينَةَ اللّهِ الَّتِيَ أَخْرَجَ لِعِبَادِهِ وَالْطَّيِّبَاتِ مِنَ الرِّزْقِ"Say: Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has brought for His servants and the good things of His provision?" [Al-A'raf: 32]

At-Tirmidhi narrated from Abdullah ibn Amr who said:

‘The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم said, "Allah likes to see the signs of His favour (bounties) on His servant,'"

i.e. He loves for His servants to enjoy His favour and enjoy the good things He has provided for him.

But Allah سبحانه وتعالى hates the haughtiness, arrogance and transgression that may result from a life of ease. So Allah سبحانه وتعالى hates the life of ease if it produced haughtiness, transgression, arrogance and tyranny. Since a life of ease and comfort by the abundant wealth could lead some people to arrogance, tyranny and haughtiness; that is it creates Taraf in them, Islam prohibited that type of luxury. So Islam prevented corruption if it resulted from the abundance of wealth and children, making people arrogant and tyrannical. Islam prohibited that strongly.

So when it is said that Taraf is Haram it does not mean the life of ease is Haram, it rather means that arrogance which results from the easy use of wealth is Haram, as Taraf would mean linguistically, and as luxury (Taraf) would mean from the verses of the Qur'an.

The above is an excerpt from the book "Economic System in Islam" by Hizb ut-Tahrir.

About Me

Hi welcome to my blog "The SharePoint" where I write my thoughts and a bit about Islam, Fashion and some random thoughts, I'm a Muslim converted since 2005 Al hamdullillah!, mother of two beautiful children, I have a job 24 / 7 and now I have a 6 years experience in making ready to wear Bridal & Party Hijabs among other bridal products. I hope you enjoy this blog and somehow take with you something useful from my work.